The Final Battle
by Ark Wolfen
Summary: A call, a battle, a tragedy...the Lylat system has fallen under the control of the evil Emperor Andross. Can a bunch of outlaws defeat him, or is the galaxy doomed forever? please, R&R...thanx )
1. A Loss in the Family

THE FINAL BATTLE

_by Arkanis Wolfen 12/October/2002_ A Loss in the Family (part 1)

"As the team leader, I am responsible for the safety of all my wingmen. If any of them should die…I don't know what I'd do"

_-Fox McCloud Star Fox's Commander-_

The dark figure looked straight at him. He didn't know what was happening or where he was. Everything around him was a white light. His eyes were barely open due to the intense light but the dark figure stood out and kept staring at him. The figure was a tall, bird-like silhouette that he found very familiar, so he tried to get closer to it, but was pulled back by some kind of invisible force. He kept on resisting this strange force when the figure started to fall down an abyss. The figure yelled for help as it was falling, but nothing could be done at all. So he did what he always does...wake.

Fox McCloud woke up just in time. The alarm was on and red lights flashed everywhere. He quickly got out of bed, dressed up and ran to Great Fox's assembly room. There he found Peppy talking to General Pepper in the holocom.

"...we cannot resist much longer on our own. Andross sent his fleet along with Star Wolf to intercept us and I don't know how much our few pilots can hold them up. Please…hurry Star Fox" Pepper requested.

"Don't worry General, we're on our way! Peppy out"

"What happened?" Fox asked.

Peppy turned around to see him. "Good, you're awake…" Peppy paused as he saw Fox's face. "You OK Fox?" he asked.

"Yeah…why?" Fox answered, yawning at the same time.

"You look tired. Those bad dreams are hunting you again huh?"

"Yes…but forget about it…what was the call for?"

"General Pepper requested our help. They where ambushed near the asteroid field by one of Andross' fleet. Wolf's there too"

"What!" Fox said with a concerned look on his face.

Right after that, the door opened, and Falco and Slippy came in.

"What…what happened! Is Andross attacking us! Are we on fire! Somethin' exploded!" Slippy squeaked. He talked so fast you could barely understand one word.

"Shut up Slip!" Falco said while giving him a little knock on the head "What's going on?"

"We gotta get movin'! Quick, to the hangar, Peppy will get you up to date on the situation guys, but first..." Fox picks up a COMM "ROB, set course for Meteo Asteroid Field" A metallic "roger" was heard through the speakers. ROB64 pushed some buttons in the cockpit and Great Fox reached light speed. A few minutes later, they found themselves in Meteo, where a fierce battle was going on.

The four members got up on their respective Arwings and started up their engines. The next thing…four Arwings blasting out of Great Fox's docking bay at full speed.

Fox's voice was heard as he spoke through his COMM. "All units report in"

"Falco standing by…"

"Peppy standing by…"

"Slippy standing by…"

"Check your G-Diffuser system" Fox's voice was heard again.

"Falco here, good as new"

"This is Peppy, no problem here"

"Slippy here, G-Diffuser functional"

Fox called again. "OK boys, I'll take care of Pepper's flagship so I need you to cover me. Set All Range Mode and split up… Fox out"

Saying this, Fox turned his COMM off and entered the battle.

He went directly to general Pepper's starship before they could blow it into space dust, but just as he got there, Slippy's voice squeaked through the COMM.

"I can't shake him Fox…HELP!"

"(Geez! Did they already got him?)" Fox said to himself.

"Can't you even defend yourself Slip!" Falco's angry voice remarked.

"…(sigh)…don't worry Fox, I'll handle this"

"Thanks Falco" Fox said with a relieved look on his face while flying to Pepper's ship.

90 MINUTES LATER-

The battle didn't last long and one by one the enemies were shot down by the Star Fox members.

"Yeeehaaa…we did it Fox" Slippy squeaked.

"Yeah, nice work people" Peppy said.

But Fox didn't think that way. "I don't know, there's something wrong here"

"What do you mean Fox? We blew them all up" Slippy answered, intrigued by Fox's reaction.

"You also noticed it Fox?" Falco agreed.

"Noticed what?" Peppy asked.

"It was…too easy…" the distrustful commander said.

"Yeah, they usually last longer than that" Falco's voice remarked.

"Don't let those bad dreams disturb you Fox" Peppy said.

"It's not that, it's just…" Fox paused.

"It's what?"

"I don't know…I just have a bad feeling about this"

The four Arwings reached General Pepper's flagship and stood by.

"OK Fox, I'll go check Pepper's ship out"

Suddenly, Fox remembered something. "Wait! Peppy, didn't you say that Star Wolf was here too!"

"Now that you mention it…yes, General Pepper informed me that they where here, but I haven't seen 'em"

"(Mmmh…besides Star Wolf not showing up, Andross' bogies were too easy to defeat…could it be?…)" Fox thought to himself. Now his face had a worried look. "Everybody stay alert…it's a trap!"

"What!" responded the entire team.

"About time you figured it out Fox" Pepper's voice remarked in the COMM.

"Isn't amazing what a simple voice modifier and a good holoprojector can do?" Now the voice was Wolf's.

"So it was you after all!" growled Fox.

"Now that's what you're up to…imitations. How perfect for a pathetic clown like you" Falco taunted.

"Same smart mouth as always huh…feather brain?" Wolf responded. "Anyway, this time we have a little surprise for you Star Fox" saying this, Wolf turned the ship's main floodlight on and temporally blinded the team.

"A little surp…? said Fox rubbing his eyes, but before he could finish his sentence, a big shadow covered them. "What the……!"

CORNERIA-

Cornerian Army HQ-

Looking through the window…"Ah, I sure love this few peaceful days. I just wish they could last a little longer before Andross tries to take another planet over and turn it into a wasteland…(sigh)…what ever happened to the old days?" he mumbled to himself. Then, his office's COMM buzzed making him jump. "Geez! This thing's gonna kill me someday" he went to his desktop and pushed a little green button.

"Yes?"

"General Pepper, security informs that there's an Arwing heading this way. It has requested permission to land" the female voice informed.

"Ah, it must be someone of the Star Fox team. Permission granted, let him land" Pepper said as he released the button.

"Right away sir" a little static sound and the COMM went off.

"(That's funny, I didn't expect Star Fox to visit me today)" General Pepper thought to himself as he went down the corridor, to the elevator and out to the landing strip.

A few minutes passed and the Arwing came to view.

"Ah, there he comes" Pepper waved his hand to the Arwing. Then, he realized it and stepped back with horror. "What?…he's not slowing down…he's…HE'S GOING TO CRASH!" Pepper ran for his life just as the heavily damaged Arwing passed over him and crashed nearby.

The alarm went on and paramedics went on their way to the crash site.

"NOOOOOOO!" Pepper screamed as he saw the Arwing burn in flames. "This can't be happe…huh!" Pepper stopped his sentence as the cockpit opened and a furry figure came out running towards him. It was Fox, with several burnings and lacerations and his flying suit ripped and scorched. Fox tried to get away from the destroyed Arwing but tripped up. Seeing this, General Pepper ran to where he was and pulled him away just before the Arwing exploded.

"Fox, are you OK? What happened?" Pepper asked while holding the wounded commander. Fox coughed a few times and grabbed Pepper's jacket desperately.

"It's Falco!" he said with tears and a madness look on his face. "We gotta go back and find him…" Fox took a deep breath "…he's got to be alive!"

"What! What are you talking about!" Just as the sound of the ambulances went louder and closer, Fox's world went completely blank. "Fox! Foooox! Come on Fox, don't do this to me. Wake up!"

CORNERIAN ACADEMY HOSPITAL-

General Pepper was walking from side to side in the waiting room when two figures rushed in.

"General! Where is he!" the old voice asked.

He quickly turned around and stared surprised at them. "Peppy…Slippy, what happened to you!" he asked concerned due to his friends' injured look.

"It doesn't matter. Where is Fox General!"

"He is in the emergency room. They just took him in there, so we'll have to wait for a while"

The old rabbit sat down heavily on the floor and buried his face on his hands. The amphibian pilot placed his hand on Peppy's shoulder trying to calm him down.

"Peppy, what happened?" Pepper asked.

"I…I…I can't believe his gone…" Peppy's voice trembled, as if something terrible happened.

"What…what happened…who's gone!" Pepper asked again.

"This can't be real" Peppy murmured with his eyes lost in his thoughts.

"Take it easy Peppy, it wasn't your fault" Slippy squeaked

"OK Peppy, you have to calm down and tell me what happened. As I told you before, they took Fox in there a few minutes ago and since they won't be coming out for a while, why don't you tell me what happened to you guys, and specially to Falco" The old General said firmly, remembering Fox's words.

"Yes…you're right…I'm sorry General…but how did you know that this was about Falco?" Peppy asked as he stood up.

"Fox told me right before he passed out" Pepper answered.

The injured rabbit took a deep breath, sat on a chair and sighed. He told the General about how they received the fake emergency call, got there and battled Andross' bogies. "…but then a big shadow covered us"

"Go on, I'm listening"

"Well at first, we couldn't see what it was very well because of Wolf's light, but Fox, kind of knowing what he was going to do, closed his eyes just in time so that he wasn't affected as much as we were…and although he was the only one that could see Wolf's "surprise" at the moment, we know our way in dogfights so we instinctively splat up. When we fully recovered our sight, we could not believe our eyes.

" Yeah, it was this huge living-thing…" Slippy squeaked.

"An amoeba shaped bio-weapon Slip" Peppy added.

"Yeah…that too…" Slippy said looking at Pepper kind of embarrassed.

"Anyway, this was something we've never seen before. And you know that we've seen it all, specially since the first Lylat Wars" Peppy paused for a moment and continued. "The most strange thing though, was that Star Wolf ran away from the battlefield. That's something that would have made us suspect if we weren't so busy fighting the amoeba. In one of our attack runs, the amoeba pulled a strange tentacle-like thing out. Then, it used it to cast some kind of unknown energy until it created a space vortex. As you know, none ever has gone inside a vortex, so we don't know what's on the other side…or if there is another side"

"…….…another side?"

When Peppy saw that Pepper's face had the same look that Slippy's, he understood that he had to explain it to the confused General. "Space vortexes are created by a huge amount of energy, like the one a star unleashes when it explodes, only this time, it was created by the amoeba and that strange energy it cast, and as I said before, none knows exactly what's on the other side" Peppy explained.

"But what did you mean by …IF there's another side?"

Peppy took his glasses off, cleaned them and put them back "There's a theory which says that there isn't anything inside a vortex, only the energy that created it and was afterward absorbed by its huge gravity force…"

"So you mean…"

"Yes, if the theory is correct, nothing can survive inside a vortex. Anything that is pulled inside by its gravity, disintegrates immediately" The old rabbit concluded.

"I see…but now I'd like to hear the rest of the story" Pepper requested.

"As I was saying, the amoeba created a space vortex when we were on our attack run. More specifically, right in front of Falco's path…

……….

_" Pull up Falco!" Fox ordered._

_"I can't…this thing's got me in some kind of magnetic beam"_

_"Get away!" Fox repeated to his lieutenant._

_"I'm telling you I can't, damn it!" his voice sounded like it was between angry and desperation as he was getting closer to it._

_"Damn!…OK, I have an idea. Hold on Falco" saying this, the young commander fired his lasers to one of the amoeba's tentacle ripping it up. The wave of unleashed bio-energy threw Falco's ship out of the vortex's way._

_"You OK Falco?" Fox asked._

_"Could be better but, yes I'm OK" Falco agreed in an arrogant tone._

_"(Why doesn't that surprise me?…)" Fox rolled his eyes. "OK guys, this isn't working…let's try hit-and-run maneuvers. Fox out"_

_"Hit-and-run?" Slippy asked._

_"When will you learn the tactics names Slippy? Falco angrily said._

_"Just attack from different directions and as fast as you can Slip" Fox explained._

_The team set full throttle and started their respective attack runs._

_-A FEW MINUTES LATER-_

_"It's working Fox!" Slippy's childish voice squeaked._

_"Don't lower your guard Slip, it's not over yet" Peppy warned._

_"Hey Falco…your ship looks very bad…trying to give some work or something?" The amphibian mechanic joked._

_"Ha ha…very funny Slippy" Falco replied in a cold tone "Just keep it shut before you hurt yourself little wimp"_

_"Geez! Talking 'bout bad moods…"_

_"OK, you're asking for it…"_

_A very disgruntled voice interrupted "OK, stop it right now damn it!" It was Fox "We're in the middle of something here, in case you haven't noticed…so why don't you stop this stupid argument before I kick the heck out of you myself!"_

_"I'm sorry Fox" Slippy squeaked._

_"Whatever" was Falco's only response._

_"Good, now, give me the analysis' results Slippy" Fox ordered._

_"The amoeba has only a 10 of energy left Fox" Slippy reported._

_"Good, it shouldn't take long"_

_Suddenly, Falco got away from the group._

_"Falco, where're you going?…get back here!"_

_"This one's mine Fox, nobody messes with my ship!"_

_Fox sighed…"OK, let's go for it…everybody attack now!" saying this, the other two Arwings joined Fox in the attack…_

……….

"So…what went wrong? I mean, with so little energy left, it shouldn't have been a problem at all" Pepper asked curious.

"That's what we all thought…" Slippy added.

"Yeah…and that was our mistake too…" Peppy's sad voice agreed.

……….

_"OK you slimy # freak! Let's see you handle a Nova Bomb!" Falco growled._

_"No…wait!" Fox interrupted "Falco, you know that these new Nova Bombs haven't been fully tested. Who knows what might happen if you shoot one at a living thing"_

_"Fox's right Falco, besides, these new Nova Bombs are way more powerful than the normal ones and…" Slippy squeaked._

_"Stay out of this Slippy, neither you nor Fox know if the…hey what the #!"_

_Falco's ship shook violently. Then he saw it…the monster had grabbed his Arwing while he was distracted._

_"Crud! I didn't see it"_

_"Falco, are you OK!" the vulpine commander asked._

_"Yeees, couldn't be better…how do you think I am damn it!" was Falco's sarcastic response._

_"OK I get it…just stay there and we'll get you out of this mess"_

_"Like I could go somewhere…"_

_Fox sighed and rolled his eyes, then grabbed his COMM and opened the channel "Peppy, do you have any idea?"_

_"We could try to cut his "arm" with the lasers, but it's moving too fast and we may hit Falco…"_

_"Mmmh…what about you Slip?" Fox asked_

_"Well, you know I'm not very good at this planning stuff, but we could…"_

_Slippy was interrupted by Falco's sarcastic voice "Hey, take your time guys…I'm just fine right here!" Falco paused and added "Geez, this thing has a brain or something?"_

_"What do you mean?" Fox asked_

_"It's trying to open my bomb holder… I think it's going to…"_

_"OK, there's no time for plans, all units…blast the damn thing!" Fox ordered as he pushed his Arwing turbo button. He got closer and closer to the amoeba. Slippy and Peppy were a few meters behind him, but just as he got close enough to attack the monster, it grabbed one of Falco's bombs._

_"Damn it! Get away Fox, it's gonna explode!" Falco growled as he saw the amoeba holding the bomb, but Fox wasn't able to hear him due to a radio malfunction._

_"What did you say?…Falco, you hear me?…Falco!"_

_Realizing that he had no escape, the avian pilot pushed his ship's engine to its maximum capacity. It sounded like it was going to dismantle, but he managed to free himself. He flew right behind the amoeba and picked his COMM._

_"I said get aw…" right before he could finish his sentence, the bomb exploded along with the amoeba, throwing every team member into different directions._

_"AHHHHHHHHH" Falco screamed as his Arwing was being destroyed by the explosion. As his Arwing was twisting out of control, his entire life passed before his eyes…as did his friends…Fox, Slippy, Peppy, Katt, Bill…"Goodbye" he said for the last time, then, everything went black._

_"FALCOOOOO!" the young commander screamed as the explosion threw him away too._

A few minutes later, Fox woke up and held his head. It hurt a lot. He felt something warm running down his face. It was blood. His own blood…but he didn't care…he knew something bad happened…then he remembered it "Falco do you hear me…where are you? Peppy, Slippy, do you copy!"

_"I'm here Fox" Peppy's voice sounded._

_"How are you?" Fox asked with a relief look on his face._

_"I've looked better, but I'll survive, what about you?"_

_"Yeah…same thing…" Fox lied, looking at his also bleeding arm and feeling a little dizzy. His left shoulder hurt a lot, and his arm was twisted and hanged in a sick angle, so he couldn't move it at all. "Have you seen Slippy?"_

_"Yes, don't worry, he's fine, just unconscious" Peppy answered._

_"And Falco?"_

_"Nope, I looked for him after I found Slip, but didn't find any sign of him. Also, I noticed that the vortex's gone…do you think it was caused by the new Nova Bomb, like a side effect or something?"_

_"Maybe…I don't know" Fox started to worry "OK, I'll use the Arwing's computer scan to search for life forms"_

_The readings began to appear in the small screen "No…damn it!"_

_"What is it Fox?"_

_"The computer doesn't show anything. There's nothing here alive beside us…"_

_"You mean…?"_

_"No…this is impossible…he can't be dead…" Fox closed his eyes "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

……….

"So you're saying that Falco is…dead?" Pepper asked with a trembling voice and his eyes wide open.

"We're not sure, but it seems so…" Peppy agreed.

"Yeah…we didn't find any piece of his Arwing, so the only explanation is that he…was…disintegrated by the explosion…" Slippy added with tears on his face.

"…Dead…oh man, I can't believe it…" Pepper sobbed "but how could you let Fox fly if he was so badly hurt?"

"We didn't. After we came back to Great Fox, he decided to come here not caring if he was injured or not. We tried to stop him, but he was still too fast for us to catch…"

"So you followed him down here in Great Fox…I see" Pepper concluded.

A deep silence covered the place for a few minutes. A doctor comes out of the room where Fox was and takes out his gloves. He approaches General Pepper and says "he'll be fine…he just needs some rest"

"When can we see him doctor?" Pepper asked.

"Oh…he won't be awake for a few hours. They're gonna take him to room 327, but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave this room and wait in the lobby. A nurse will tell you when he's ready to have visits" saying that, the doctor walks out of the room.

"See?…I told you to calm down Peppy, he's going to be OK" Pepper said to his furry friend "now come…let's go to the lobby and wait for the call"

"Yes, thank you General"

The trio went to the lobby, sat on the not so comfortable chairs and tried to kill time. Peppy tried to relax a bit watching a movie on a TV that hung up on the roof. Slippy red a mechanics magazine he found on a table and Pepper went to a vending machine to get some coffee. He went back to his friends with three coffee cups, one for each. Time passed and still no call from any nurse. The three fell asleep on their seats waiting for the call. A few minutes later, a nurse comes in and says "Anybody related to Mr. Fox McCloud?"

Slippy opened his eyes, not knowing where he was.

"What…what happened?" he yawned with his eyes half opened and scratching the back of his head.

"I repeat, is there anybody related to Mr. Fox McCloud inhere?"

Slippy jumped off his seat and waked his friends "Wake up, the nurse is here"

Peppy woke up and quickly talked to the nurse "How is he? Is he OK?"

"You're his friends? He just woke up"

"Good, can we see him now?" Peppy asked.

"Yes, but please be careful, he looks a little depressed"

"We'll be careful. Thank you"

"He is on room 327. Second floor, fourth room to the right"

Peppy, Slippy and General Pepper rushed to Fox's room and came in.

"How do you feel Fox?" Peppy asked, but got no response "Fox, do you hear me? Fox?" Still no response. Fox just stared at the window not even looking at his friends.

"What's wrong with him?" Slippy asked.

"I don't know Slip. General, why don't you try?" Peppy said.

"Fox, do you remember me? It's me, General Pepper. Fox?" Pepper waved his hand in front of Fox's face. Nothing happened. "I don't know Peppy, he just keeps staring at the window. Perhaps he just needs some more sleep. Why don't you two go home and rest a little. We'll come back tomorrow"

"Yeah, I think you're right. Thank you General and see you tomorrow" Peppy agreed.

"Goodnight Peppy. Bye Slippy" The General leaves the room.

"Come on Slip, let's go back to Great Fox"

"I'm coming…goodbye Fox" Slippy said to his friend, but once again, there was no response "…(sigh)…" Slippy went out of the room and closed the door.

2 DAYS LATER-

The situation was the same day after day. The three of them came to see Fox, but he didn't say a single word. They were now talking to each other in Fox's room when suddenly…

"It's my fault…"

"Fox? Fox! You're OK. Why didn't you talk to us?"

"It was my fault Peppy"

"What are you talking about?" Peppy asked.

"I killed him"

"Who?"

"Falco…his death…it was my fault, and those dreams were a warning…why didn't I listen to them…(sigh)…if only I hadn't distracted him…"

"Don't be ridiculous Fox…it wasn't your fault…it was none's fault…it just happened"

"He's right Fox" Pepper added "I know it's always difficult to accept someone's death, specially when that person is a close friend of yours, but you must let it go, or it'll destroy your life"

"So you want me to just forget about the whole thing huh?…so it's like _oh well, Falco's dead, let's find a replacement_…you make me sick"

"Hey that's not fair, we didn't say…"

"I know what you're trying to say…_It's not your fault…bla bla bla…_but what really bothers me is that you want me to act as if nothing happened…you know that Falco doesn't deserve that…you're the worst #…" Fox was going to finish his curses when all of a sudden, Peppy grabs him by his T-shirt and slaps him so hard, he almost ripped Fox's head off. "Hey what the # was that for?" he said, holding his jaw.

"Stop it right now damn it…you of all should know that Falco's death makes us sad too, so stop being so immature and start acting like the leader you're supposed to be" Peppy paused, sighed and continued "if you continue to behave like this, I'm gonna…I'm gonna have to throw you out of the team"

"I'm sorry to say this Fox, but Peppy's right…you can't go on like this and neither can you lead a team" Pepper agreed.

"Besides, Fox, think about Falco…he wouldn't want you to be kicked out of the team. You know that Peppy and I can't keep the team going without a leader, we would eventually split, and the Star Fox team would disappear. Think about us…who'd want to hire an ex-mercenary mechanic huh?…and Peppy…he's too old to get a job anywhere else…" Slippy added.

"Hey!"

"Sorry Peppy, it's the truth, face it"

"…guess you're right…I'm sorry guys. General Pepper, I would like to apologize for my previous behavior and for saying you were a #" Fox said.

Pepper's face went completely red as Peppy and Slippy tried to hold their laughs "…ahem…I'll forget it this time Fox" Pepper looked at Slippy, who by the way was holding his belly and tears were coming out of his eyes, and said "You have something to say Slippy?" with a cold tone.

"No…I…just…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Slippy couldn't resist anymore and exploded in laugh, making Peppy laugh, who made Fox laugh, who made Pepper…get pissed off trying not to look like and walk out of the room excusing himself by saying he had "important things to do". Obviously, it was a lie…

6 YEARS LATER-

GREAT FOX-

Time has passed, Fox has recovered his health and our heroes are back in action. The Star Fox team consists of three members now. After Falco's death, they asked Katt Monroe to fill in for him, but she felt so depressed that couldn't accept it. Bill Grey was also asked to join the team, but once again the offer was refused. Bill felt it wasn't right to leave the Cornerian Army now that he was promoted, so Falco's place was never occupied, but they managed to work without the help of a fourth member. It wasn't easy, but they finally got used to work as a trio. Back in the present they seem to have some troubles. Aboard Great Fox, Peppy is in the search for an item that will help them to improve their efficiency. An item without which they cannot go on any mission. He searches for the…

"…damn coffee bars Slippy! Where did you put them!…Please don't tell me you ate 'em all"

"OK, I won't tell you"

"Ahhhhrrrgggg"

"Calm down Peppy, you can have mine. I slept so well last night, I don't feel sleepy at all" Fox said, trying to cool things down.

"Thanks Fox, you know I'm a mess without my every-morning coffee bar"

"Yeah, tell me about it" Slippy whispered.

"What did you say Slip?" Peppy quickly turned back

"Nothing, I just…"

Suddenly, ROB64 was heard through the speakers "Incoming message from General Pepper. Priority one" The team ran to the assembly room, while Peppy dealt with the coffee bar.

"Damn it! Why do they make this coffee bars so hard to open…"

The door automatically opened as they approached it. Fox pressed a button in the holocom and Pepper's face appeared. "Star Fox…ZZZ…help us…ZZZ…Andross…attacZZZ…ZZorneria…we cannot resiZZZ…longer…ZZZZZZZZZZ" The signal was very distorted and was finally cut.

"General Pepper, do you copy? General Pepper! This is bad, we must help them. ROB, set full speed to Corneria"

"Roger" was ROB64's only response. Once again, Great Fox reached light speed and headed to Corneria. The three Arwings entered Corneria's air space. The view was horrible. The whole city was burning… buildings were destroyed…people laid dead on the streets…Venomian ships where everywhere…it looked like the end of the world…

"What the heck! Where did Andross get this army from?" Fox asked shocked looking around.

"We better hurry…quick, to the HQ" Peppy suggested.

When they arrived, the HQ was already in ruins. Then…Andross' face appeared in the air.

"Ah…the Star Fox team. We meet again"

"Andross! What the heck have you done! Where's Pepper! Fox asked furious.

"He has…temporally…retired from his job. And so will you…hahahahaha" Andross laughed madly.

"Andross…miserable psycho…you'll pay for this!"

"Oh no Fox McCloud…this time it is you who's going down…"

Andross' image disappeared and lasers started to blast from everywhere.

"All units…emergency maneuvers!" Fox ordered

Fox span, U-turned, braked, accelerated, flipped and did every trick he knew but was inevitably hit again and again until his shield gauge reached zero. The Arwing started to spin out of control. As his ship was falling, both Peppy and Slippy cried for help in the COMM.

"Damn, I've been hit Fox!" Peppy growled.

"I'm going down Fox…help!" Slippy squeaked.

Fox saw the other two Arwings falling and burning, but there was nothing he could do…nothing at all. He had failed…he had failed his father, he had failed Corneria, his friends and the entire galaxy…he could only hoped for the quick death that would save him from the shame of his failure. THREE Arwings fell…THREE explosions were heard.

EVERYTHING seemed lost…

TO BE CONTINUED… 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wanna thank all my friends for their support (yeah right)…but still, this story is dedicated to them: Roberto "Darth Price" Soto, Vincent "jopo" Smith, Sergio "abajo el sistema" Ellmen, Javier "hueca" Behrens, Francisca "nona" Silva, ARTEMANO (you know who you are)…and last but not least my brother. This is the first fanfic I have ever written so you'll understand if this isn't as good as other fanfics out there. This story will probably (and hopefully) consist of four parts, so the "to be continued" part is true. Well, I hope ya'll like it…see you next time……FOMIX! (sorry, inside joke!).

Any comments, questions, insults? E-mail me at Star Fox characters are property of Nintendo.


	2. The Fallen Warrior

THE FINAL BATTLE 

****

_by Arkanis Wolfen 14/January/2003_

**The Fallen Warrior (part 2)**

"I know I must do it, it's our last hope. The problem is…how" 

_-Peppy Hare Star Fox Member-_

CORNERIA-

EASTERN SWAMP, NEAR ANDROSS' 8th HIGH SECURITY WORK CAMP

"How's it look?" the oldest one of the group asked.

He looked everywhere for a possible unguarded spot. There were twelve guards on the front entrance, three guards and an anti-infantry light tank on the back door, three guards on each security tower and the search lights were on. There were three cameras as far as he could see, but he knew there had to be more. The workers were having full nighttime work, as punishment for a small unsuccessful uprising that occurred a few days ago, so there was extra security everywhere.

"…completely guarded, like always. I don't think we can do anything tonight. Let's get back caves" The old rabbit took his binoculars off and sighed. He slowly got up and quietly ordered the rest of the group to return to their hideout.

The older one approached him and put his hand over his friend's shoulder.

"Is something bothering you Peppy?" he asked.

The old rabbit was Peppy Hare, former member of Star Fox and the only one to escape the Hunters. The other one was General Pepper, who managed to escape Andross' prison with the help of his few remaining troops, but since they were living as outlaws, they didn't call each other by their ranks no more. Besides, they were both Generals now.

"It's no big deal Pepper, it's just…damn it! It's just not FAIR!" he yelled out loud as he punched a tree. A single tear started to fall down his cheek. The group stopped and looked at him surprised by his yell. Pepper nodded his head ordering them to continue. He looked at his friend and lowered his head.

"With that yell of yours, you could have easily get us all killed, you know?"

"I'm sorry…I guess I just couldn't help it"

"C'mon tell me. What was that for?"

"It's just not fair! Why did the young ones get caught while we escaped! They could have done much more good than we can. We're too old for this" Peppy paused, sighed and continued "I know we have a small group of soldiers with us, but we can't lead them forever, we're just too old. Geez! If somebody had told me back then that I'd end up living in caves…CAVES man!" Peppy said.

"I'm not saying they're the best Peppy, but you know they're just for covering. We have some pretty good facilities in there and thanks to our radar-jammer, they haven't found them"

"…(sigh)…guess you're right" he paused and his face turned into a mix of anger and shame "Oh man, look at me! I'm standing here complaining about them, and they're way better than the work camps Fox and the rest were brought to. Crud! They're nothing more than slaves now…and I feel so guilty about it" the old rabbit sat down and buried his head on his hands.

"How many times have I told you it was not your fault?" Pepper said "Look, it was just plain luck you crashed further than the rest from Andross' base. There's nothing you could have done. Besides, you don't even know if they're still alive. You gotta face it, there's nothing in this world Andross would rather want to see than Fox and his friends dead"

"No…I know Andross, and he wouldn't kill them. He prefers to humiliate his enemies and make their lives miserable until they cursed the day they were born. Andross…you insane bastard, I swear I'll get you one of this days!"

They both waited in silence for a few minutes.

"Are you OK now?" Pepper asked.

"Yes…let's head back to base. They must be worried"

Pepper looked up to the sky and a small smile was drawn on his face.

"It's beautiful…isn't it?"

"Huh?" Peppy said as he looked his friend and lifted an eyebrow.

"Tonight's night sky"

Peppy looked at the dark-bluish sky. The stars were shining brighter than ever. A cold breeze hit his face, and made him feel younger for a few moments as it caressed his furry face. It also reminded him of old friends and the good times aboard the Great Fox. A tear dropped down his furry face.

"What's wrong?" Pepper asked.

"Nothing…" he smiled "…it just remembered me of the good old days. I miss them so badly" he closed his eyes and sighed.

"We all do my friend…" Pepper said as he put a hand over Peppy's shoulder "…we all do"

And so, the twosome walked back home.

SOUTHERN CANYON CAVES-

"Where could they be?" a worried tiger said.

Suddenly, another military dressed tiger walks in, stands still and salutes.

"At ease soldier. What is it?"

"Sir, they have returned" the young soldier said.

"What? Where are they?"

"At the main entrance Sir, they just arrived"

"Good, you may return to your duty"

"Yes Sir" the soldier responded as he saluted again

The two tigers walk out of the tent, taking different directions. As the soldier said, both Generals had arrived. Still worried, the young tiger walked to them.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Ah Captain Khan, yes we are both alright, don't worry"

"We were starting to believe you'd never come back"

"I know Captain, I know. We are a little late…"

"A little late? Sir, with all due respect, you've been out for all day long"

"OK, OK I get it. Relax Captain, you're taking your job too serious" Peppy said in a joyful tone, as he passed his arm around the Captain's shoulder. "C'mon, I'll get you a drink"

Khan just sighed. Then, Pepper comes closer to Peppy and whispers…

"Seems like you're really OK now, huh?"

Peppy just smiled back.

"Are you coming Pepper?" Peppy asked.

"No thanks. I'm a little tired, I think go to sleep. Goodnight Peppy, goodnight Captain"

"Goodnight" Peppy replied.

"Goodnight Sir" Khan said as he saluted.

"So, let's go for the drinks, shall we?"

"Hmm, yeah, about that Sir, I'm not sure it's a good idea"

"C'mon, I don't wanna make it an order"

"Alright Sir, I'll have a drink with you" Khan sighed.

"Ha! I knew you'd say yes. You're not telling me you're afraid to drink, aren't you Captain?"

"Well, actually…"

And so the night went on peacefully and quietly. The only thing to remark, was Captain Kahn's headache in the morning. He never drinks.

WORK CAMP-

THE NEXT MORNING-

"C'mon you lazy scum! Wake up and get your sorry asses in here now!"

The roof opened and sunlight filled the quarters. Everybody was standing up rubbing their eyes, when the usual "click" sounded, and the cell doors opened.

"Everybody one step forward…NOW!"

Everyone did quickly as he said, except for one who took the step slowly. The guard noticed it and gave the prisoner a bad look.

"OK listen up worms! You know the routine, I'm gonna say your serial number and you say your name"

And so he did. Number after number, name after name, the long list of prisoners or "workers" continued. The number they gave them was completely random, only the number "8" remained in every one of them. It corresponded to the slave camp's number. They used it to identify prisoners that didn't belong there and were held temporally for further transfer. There were many prisoners. Some of them were former Cornerian soldiers, the others were civilians who had caused too much trouble, either by leading groups of "terrorists" against the empire or creating uprisings. Some names stood out from the rest, like…

"35-8!"

"Grey, Bill!"

or…

"75-8!"

"Toad, Slippy!"

…but when it came to certain well-known prisoner…

"113-8!"

…there was no answer. The guard lifted an eyebrow and a vein appeared in his temple.

"I said…113-8!"

"What's wrong? Can't you even remember a name?" the voice replied in a cold tone.

"Well, well, well, looks like we are in a bad mood today…aren't we?"

"(Damn it! Why are you doing this?)" Bill thought as he closed his eyes.

The guard grabbed his rifle and hit the prisoner right in his stomach, throwing him to the floor and leaving him without air. He kneeled down to his level and grabbed the prisoner's shirt.

"So…we are not so tough now, aren't we?…" the guard asked.

The room remained silent. The guard, who was getting a little impatient dragged him closer.

"…aren't we…McCloud?" he repeated.

The prisoner was Fox McCloud indeed. He looked thinner than before, probably by the bad food they gave him, the punishments, the extra hours of hard work, the illnesses, etc…

Fox said nothing, he wasn't going to give him that pleasure. He just raised his head and spited in the guard's face.

"Ahhrg…you stupid fool…" he said cleaning his eye "…You wanna spit! I'll teach you how to spit!"

The guard raised and kicked Fox right in the face throwing him further than before. Both Bill and Slippy couldn't watch it and closed their eyes as they lowered their heads. Fox spited blood, only this time to the floor.

"See? That's how you are supposed to do it…but you are lucky McCloud. I'm feeling benevolent today, so I'll let you live…for now" he said as he turned back.

The guard continued with the rest of the list until he finished.

"Good, now get your lazy asses outside and start working…MOVE IT!"

Once they got out of the quarters, Bill went to where Fox was.

"Hey, what was that for?" Bill asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Your little show in there, that's what I mean"

"Guess I'm just in a bad mood today" Fox said. He was clearly upset

"Well, that bad mood could have get yourself killed…y'know?"

"Who cares anyway?" Fox looked away

"I do, Slippy does, Peppy does. You do have friends…you know?"

"Peppy…he has escaped Andross' clutches twice. Ha! I bet Andross hates him even more than he hates me. Peppy…" Fox lowered his head and Bill sighed "…where are you old buddy?"

"Hey! You two! Start working now!" an angry guard shouted, and so they did.

They worked at the weapons factory level, constructing weapons for Andross' army. Slippy was a different case. Although he was good at constructing things, he was sent to the RD level, where he could design and create new weapons and artifacts for the Emperor.

Suddenly, Fox started to smile. Bill looked at him a little surprised by his friend's change of mood.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Falco" Fox responded.

"What about him?"

"We all thought…_poor Falco, he didn't deserve to die in that way_…or…_why did he have to die?_…"

"So?"

"Don't you see it? He was the luckiest of us all" Fox said smiling.

But Bill knew Fox's smile was fake, although he was ironically right. Anything was better than the work camp, death included. Even so, it always hurt him to talk about Falco. Bill knew he was one of Fox's closest and best friends, but Falco wasn't just a partner or a teammate…he was like a brother to him. You could almost say it was the third time Fox had to deal with the death of one of his family members. First, his mother by a devastating illness when he was just a kid, then his father at Andross' hands and then…Falco. Bill didn't know how Fox got over it…if he ever did. But one thing he knew for sure…it wasn't going to do any good arguing with Fox, so he preferred to leave things as they were right now.

"Guess you're right pal" he lied and both went back to work. They didn't speak for the rest of the day.

ANDROSS' PALACE-

"GUARD!" the angry voice yelled.

A small reptile runs in and nervously salutes.

"Y-Yes Sir?" he asked. His legs were shaking and making a little "bony" sound.

"Call my…" the voice stopped and looked at the reptile.

"……"

"You're a new face. Where's my usual guard!"

"He's…"

"Shut up!"

"Yes Sir"

"It doesn't matter. Now, where was I?"

"You where…"

One angry look was all the guard needed to understand he'd better shut up.

"Oh yes, tell my personal guard to come into my presence immediately. GO!"

"As you wish S-Sir" the reptile said as he hurried to leave the room. He rushed to the Emperor's guard's quarters. It took him a few seconds to get there. When he arrived, he stopped in front of the big metal door, cleaned the sweat from his forehead, and knocked.

"Come in"

"Sir, Emperor Andross requests your presence immediately"

"OK" he said, but the guard just stood there. "Well? What are you waiting for? Dismissed"

"Yes Sir" the guard responded. He saluted and leaved the room.

The "Emperor's guard" was the former Star Wolf team. They were named "Emperor's guard" after Lylat's fall 5 years ago. Each one of them was killing time in his own way. Wolf was throwing his knife the table, Leon was reading a book, Andrew was looking at himself in a mirror, and Pigma…well, he was eating. Leon closed his book as a bit of greasy meat fled to his face. He flicked it away and gave Pigma an angry look.

"Don't you have any manners Pigma?" he said with disgust.

"Lve m aln!" Pigma answered with his mouth still full of meat.

"Oh God!" Leon complained as he covered his nose with a handkerchief.

"Enough! Come on, let's get going. We better not make him mad. And Pigma…please throw that…stuff you're eating away" Wolf ordered. He wasn't in his usual mood and his voice sounded a little "lost".

All four of them walked out of the room.

"What's wrong with him?" Pigma mumbled to Andrew.

"I don't know. He's been acting like that for a good few days now"

When they reached Andross' chamber, Wolf was the first to enter. He bowed and the rest followed.

"You called us Sir?" Wolf said.

"Yes. I want a report on the "Hare Situation". And I expect good news, for your safe Wolf and your team's"

Wolf cleaned his throat and spoke.

"Well Sir, he's…still out there Sir"

"…I thought so. I'm giving you one more chance to get him. If you fail, I will have your heads in a very painfully way. For you at least. This is the last chance I'm giving you, so don't screw it up. Understood!"

"Yes Sir" they all said at once.

"Good, now…get out of my sight before I regret my decision and burn you all down right now!"

Hearing this, they stood up, saluted and quickly leaved the room. They were walking silently through the hallway, when Pigma suddenly decided to break that silence.

"That was a close call…huh?" he said.

"Shut up…will ya!" Wolf growled.

The silence continued all the way back to their quarters. This time, they went to their respective rooms. Wolf entered his slamming the door, which called Leon's attention. He was Wolf's only friend, and was the only one Wolf trusted, so he went to Wolf's room and knocked the door.

"What is it?" Wolf asked.

"It's me"

"Come in"

Leon opened the door and entered. He grabbed a chair and sat in front of Wolf.

"What's bothering you, my friend?" he asked.

Wolf, who was lying on his bed, sat down and faced Leon.

"I'm sick of this"

"Of what?"

"Of all this _Emperor's Guard_ thing"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I want our mercenaries days back. Wouldn't you want it too? Just think about it. None to "protect" or obey. Just the four of us, doing what we do…you know?"

"Mmmh…I can see that's not the only thing that you want…am I wrong?"

"Heh…guess you found it out"

"Not yet. Will you tell me?"

"Star Fox"

"But they're already prisoners" Leon said giving Wolf a funny look.

"I know, but I wanted to kill Fox in a dogfight, not see him rotten in a cell. I wanted to see his face full of fear as he went down on his Arwing. I wanted to…feel his anxiety as his Arwing's controls didn't respond. He's mine Leon, mine. I'm am the only one who can kill him. He's my prey."

"I see. Well, I hate to tell you this my friend, but nothing can be done about it"

"…(sigh)…"

"Well, I think I'll go back to my room"

"OK, and…thanks"

"Don't mention it"

Wolf went lying on his bed again and stood still for a few minutes…thinking.

"(Yeah, nothing can be done)" he thought as he closed his eye.

A few more minutes passed, and another thought came to his mind. This time, he opened his eye and smiled.

"(Except…)"

He quickly got up and went to Leon's room. He entered without knocking.

"Hey, what the…" Leon said but was cut by Wolf.

"Shhh. Listen…I got it" he mumbled.

Not knowing what to do, Leon mumbled too.

"What'd you got?"

"I know how we can have our old days back…and Star Fox along with them"

"Is that true?" Leon mumbled excited with a smile on his face.

"Yes, but this must stay between us. None can know about it. Not even Pigma or Andrew"

"But why?"

"Pigma is completely useless…"

"Tell me about it"

"…and Andrew, well, you know he is in the team just because he's Andross' nephew"

"OK, so what's your plan?" Leon asked.

"Here's what we're gonna do…" Wolf said as an evil grin appeared on his face.

After a couple of minutes-

"What!" Leon asked out loud, surprised by Wolf's plan.

"Shhhhhh!"

"Sorry, but did you say what I think you said?"

"You heard me"

"But that's impossible. We haven't been able to find him all this time and you suddenly think we can just go and pay him a visit? How do you plan to do it?"

"Actually we haven't found him 'cause I haven't allowed it"

"But…why?"

"If we had, we wouldn't had a job right now. And if we aren't needed, do you think Andross would keep us by his side…as friends? He'd have got rid of us right away"

"You got a point there. But why didn't you tell us before?"

"Andross' nephew…hello?" Wolf answered in a sarcastic tone.

"Got it"

SOME OTHER DIMENSION-

The taller figure approaches the older one, who looks very busy working on something.

"Is it ready yet?"

"Patience, my young friend. If I don't do this correctly, who knows where we might end up"

The younger one sighs and looks to the sky.

"I know, but I need to get there as quick as possible"

"That's funny. You haven't been here half the time I have, but you're twice as desperate to leave this place" he said smiling.

"I'm not desperate, it's just that I have a bad feeling, like if…"

"Like what?"

"…I don't know, I just need to get there soon"

The older one gave him a concerned look, and went back to work. "Go have some rest. I'll finish here" he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Seems like you could use a good nap"

"OK I'll leave you alone then. See you in a while"

As soon as he leaved the room, the older one stopped for a moment.

"(Hope you're wrong about it kid)" he thought as he continued working.

CORNERIA-

SOUTHERN CANYON CAVES-

"You wanted to see me Sir?"

"Yes Captain. I want you to have your men ready and waiting in the entrance" Peppy said.

"Are we going out tonight Sir?"

"Yes. I'll debrief you in about….20 minutes"

"Yes Sir"

Captain Khan saluted and left the room. Peppy turned around to face Pepper.

"You know? I have a feeling that this is going to be a great night, I really do!"

"You think we'll make it this time?"

"I don't know, but I feel that something good is going to happen tonight. I feel it in my bones"

"Well buddy, let's hope you're right"

Once they finished talking, they both went out to the where the troops were. Captain Khan approached them and saluted.

"Troops ready and waiting Sir"

"Thank you Captain" Pepper saluted.

Peppy looked at his troops, took a breath and spoke to them.

"Gentlemen, we some work to do tonight. Our mission is to rescue some vital prisoners from the work camps. The prisoners are Fox McCloud, Bill Grey and Slippy Toad"

After a couple of minutes of explanations and that kind of stuff, Peppy stopped.

"Are we clear then?"

"Yes Sir" the troops responded at once.

"Any questions?"

The silence spoke for itself.

"Well then, let's go"

And so, the small group of rebels left the safety of their hideout to rescue some of his fallen friends.

ESTERN SWAMP-

"Are you sure he's coming Wolf? I don't see anything" Leon asked.

"I'm telling you, he'll be here. Trust me"

Meanwhile, a few miles away…

"Captain, order your men to stop. We'll rest here"

"Yes Sir"

"Hey Peppy, wouldn't it be a good idea to send someone to scout ahead?"

"Yes, you're right. I'll send someone right away"

And so he did. The trooper advanced a few miles, when he heard some voices and immediately hided. He lifted his head so he could have a better view. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"(The Emperor's Guards! What are they doing here? Oh Man! I must inform the others!)" he thought, as he started to walk away.

Back with the rest of the group…

"What? Are you sure you saw what you saw?"

"Yes Sir, Wolf O'Donnell and Leon Powalski were sitting there"

"Damn it! This makes things a lot more complicated"

"But there was something strange about it"

"What did you say?"

"Yes, they were the only two I saw there. Nor Pigma nor Andrew were there. They didn't even have a single soldier along with them"

"If what you're saying is correct, this could be a great day. If we capture them, we could gain some advantage on the situation"

Peppy turned around to face the troops.

"Everybody up! Rest is over! Let's get going!"

A few miles ahead…

Peppy raised his hand, ordering an immediately halt.

"Captain, come with me" Peppy whispered.

"Yes Sir"

They both silently hided behind some bushes.

"He was right! They're all alone. This is great" Khan whispered.

"Yeah, let's head back"

Back with the group…

"OK, here's the plan…" Peppy talked to the group "…, we'll divide in two groups and surround them. We'll attack at my signal. Let's go!"

Meanwhile, Leon was a little nervous.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Wolf? Coming here with no backup at all?"

"Look, he won't be able to refuse my offer, so don't worry"

"I sure hope you're right"

Once Pepper and the rest surrounded Wolf and Leon, Peppy gave the signal and everybody jumped out taking them both by surprise.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Wolf O'Donnell and Leon Powalski. See Pepper, I told you this was going to be a good day"

"Damn it Wolf, I told you this was too risky!" Leon said anxiously looking around, realizing they completely surrounded.

"Relax, leave it to me…" he whispered "…Ah! Peppy Hare, I've been waiting for you!"

"Excuse me…?" Peppy asked confused.

"Do you really think I was just wandering around in swamp? You disappoint me"

"What are you talking about?"

"I've come with an offer for you. One I think you'll like"

"But how did you know we were coming?"

"It doesn't matter. Here's my offer…"

But suddenly, a bright light along with very strong winds appeared blinding them all. It made a very loud noise, like continuing small explosions. It looked as if reality was being ripped apart.

"It's a trap! Everybody watch out!" Pepper yelled rubbing his eyes.

"Damn it Wolf, what kind of weapon is this!" Peppy asked. His eyes were starting to recover.

"I don't know! I didn't do anything!" Wolf yelled.

"What!"

Then, two figures walked out of the light. Peppy, surprised by Wolf's answer, looked at the figures, but his vision was still cloudy.

"Who are you!" he asked.

But the only answer he got, was another question. One he never expected. The taller figure walked towards him and asked…

**"_Peppy…?_"**

_ TO BE CONTINUED…_

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, here's the second part of the story. I know, I know, a little late, but I had a very important exam some days ago, so I hadn't much time (and inspiration) to write. Thanks again to my "reviewer" and buddy Roberto Soto. Hope ya'll liked this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Well, I'll "see" you on the next one. Till then…TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!

Any comments, questions, insults? I'll gladly take them all! E-mail me at Star Fox characters are property of Nintendo.


	3. Ghosts from the Past

THE FINAL BATTLE 

_By Arkanis Wolfen 1/March/2003_

**Ghosts from the Past (part 3)**

"I need to get back to Corneria quickly. I don't know why but…I feel something terrible has happened" 

_-Falco Lombardi Star Fox member-_

"…is that you, Peppy?" he asked.

"What the…! Who are you!" Peppy's eyes were getting better now, but he still couldn't recognize him.

"Already forgotten me, huh?" he joked.

Peppy's sight was all-good now. He looked at the stranger,…and his heart stopped for a second. It couldn't be! It's been so long since that terrible loss. But on the other side, they never found him. Their long lost friend…

"Falco!"

And everybody looked at him. The older soldiers stood astonished, while the younger ones probably never heard of him.

"Is it really you! How could it be?" he said with a trembling voice. Tears started to fall down as he hugged him. He just couldn't believe it. Falco was actually alive!

"Hey, hey, calm down man. I know it's been a while, but you don't have to get all sentimental on me" Falco, as usual, was acting as if he didn't care, but inside, he felt just like Peppy. He missed his friends…a lot. But one voice interrupted the scene.

"Lombardi! What the heck!" he asked.

It was a voice Falco knew all too well. He instantly let go of Peppy, pulled his blaster out and turned around before he could say anything else.

"Wolf!…" he pointed his blaster at Wolf's head "…What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here! Aren't you supposed to be…how could I say it?…DEAD!"

"It's a long story" Falco said without taking his gun out of Wolf's head.

"Well, I guess our little attack will have to wait" Pepper said with his eyes still wide open, not believing what just happened.

"Hi General, it's been a while" Falco said to the still amazed General.

"It sure has. Huh? Who's the other guy? He looks familiar"

"I don't think this is the better place to make introductions" Falco said.

"Yeah, I think we better abort our mission"

"Mission? What are talking about?" the avian pilot asked.

"I'll tell you later" Pepper said.

"OK everybody, let's head back to base. Something...uh…something unexpected just happened. Nothing to worry about though" Peppy ordered.

"Excuse me Sir, but should we do with Wolf and Leon?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I guess we'll have to get bring them along. Chained of course, and make sure they don't have any kind of tracking devices"

"Yes Sir"

"Oh great" Leon complained, rolling his eyes.

"Did you see that? Lombardi was actually alive" Wolf whispered, still surprised.

"Do you think I care?"

"Oh, get lost!"

"Yeah, like I could"

"Hey you two, shut up and start walking!" a soldier ordered. Wolf gave him just one look to make him understand no to ever do that again.

"Don't worry Leon, this didn't affect my plan. As a matter of fact, this couldn't get any better" Wolf whispered with a smile on his face.

"I hope you know what you're saying"

And so, our heroes traveled all the way back to their base.

SOUTHERN CANYON CAVES-

Peppy and the others are at the cantina chatting and getting Falco up to date on the situation.

"So Andross now is the ruler of the Lylat system. Man! I never thought this day would come true" Falco said sadly.

"Neither did I. But it's true" Pepper said.

"But, isn't there any planet free of his clutches? I mean, are you the only resistance to tyranny!"

"Unfortunately yes. And as you see, I'm the only Star Fox member that wasn't caught by the Hunters" Peppy answered.

"The Hunters?"

"The Hunters, were specially designed droids, whose function is to stop rebellions by capturing their leaders. They've also proven very affective against heavy assaults, so they're usually assigned to prisons and stuff like that"

"I see…Oh, I almost forgot to introduce my partner here. Peppy, General Pepper this is Arkanis Wolfen"

"Arkanis Wolfen! Eh, are you related in some way to the starfighter designer we had back then at the H.Q.?" Pepper asked.

"Actually, I am that designer" he answered.

"What? Impossible, he died in his Lab many years ago!"

"Well, he's telling the truth General"

"But how could that be?" Pepper asked amazed.

"Yeah, and how could you still be alive! Where were you all this time?" Peppy asked the avian pilot.

"Well, it's a long story, but since mine and Ark's are connected, I think I can make it a little shorter. Mmmh, let's see…" Falco laid back a little, took a deep breath and continued "…It all began the day we fought the amoeba…"

……….

_"……damn it! This thing has reached the bomb holder and I can't get away. What can I do, what can I do? C'mon think!" he thought to himself._

_"Don't worry Falco we're coming!" Fox said to his wingman._

_"Crud! Fox is heading this way…I gotta warn him" Falco grabbed his COMM, but suddenly he felt a little trembling. He turned around to see what happened, and saw the amoeba holding a bomb. He turned around to face his already malfunctioning control console and opened the channel "Damn it! Get away Fox, it's gonna explode"_

_"WhZZZ…you say?…FaZZZ…hear mZZZ…" was Fox distorted answer._

_"I said get away damn it!" But Fox was still coming closer. "Can't you hear me! Get away Fox…Fox!…Fox!…get away damn it!…"_

_"GET AWAY!" Falco woke up in a gasp. He was covered in sweat and his heart beat so hard and fast he could hear it clearly. The young avian buried his head on his hands and tried to relax. When he calmed down a little, he looked around to see where he was. The place looked completely strange to him. He was lying on a bed in some sort of a bedroom. The room was brown colored and looked very old, there was no technology around, just wooden furniture. Next to him, there was a table with a lamp and a jar full of water._

_"(Where am I!…What happened!)" Falco thought to himself as he tried to stand up, but fell on the bed right after feeling a little dizzy. His eyes were wide open and his head hurt. _

_"(I don't remember any drink leaving a headache like this)" Falco joked to himself. Once again he tried to stand up, succeeding this time. "I gotta get out of here" he mumbled, when the door opened and a white wolf came in. He looked a little old, probably the same age Peppy was, with a red shirt on, black pants and a cap. His glasses gave him a kind of "wise" look._

_"So you're finally awake. I'm glad to see it. I was starting to think you were never going to…you know?" the wolf said in a friendly tone._

_Falco, who at the moment was holding his head, jumped into a fighting position, ready to attack. "Who are you! What's this place! Where am I!"_

_"Hey relax, I'm not going to hurt you" The wolf stepped back "Geez! If I knew you were going to awake in such a bad mood…but anyway, I suppose you're hungry, aren't you?" the wolf asked._

_Falco lowered his guard, and placed one hand on his stomach as it released a loud sound, almost like a growl. He was hungry indeed. Starving actually._

_"Well yes, I am" he answered a little confused._

_"I thought so. Come with me, lunch is ready and you're lucky a made plenty of it" The wolf noticed Falco's distrustful look and said "Don't worry, I'll explain everything after you have eaten"_

_Having no other option, Falco followed the wolf to the dinner room "(I better not take my eyes off him, at least until he explains me what's going on)" he thought to himself._

_The twosome went through a small corridor. Falco observed there was no decoration at all, and there was stuff everywhere…clothes, tools, etc… not that it mattered him. No paintings, no nothing, just a plain wall "(Mmmmh, this place reminds me of my room in Great Fox…it's a mess)" he thought as he lifted an eyebrow. When they reached the small dinner room, was not surprised at all with the food, 'cause he had smelled it since they were in the corridor, but it was an amazingly good smell though._

_"Please sit down, feel at home" the wolf said._

_"Thanks" Falco answered a little uncomfortable and started eating fast. Really fast. In a couple of minutes the table was almost empty. The wolf could not believe his eyes. Everything was gone. He looked at Falco, who was resting in his sit, both wings on his belly and a toothpick in his beak. "Man that was some good food" he said and sighed._

_"You were really hungry, weren't you?" the wolf said with eyes wide open, still not believing it._

_"You can say that again. I felt like I didn't ate for days"_

_"Well you didn't actually"_

_Falco spited his toothpick and placed both wings on the table. "Look man, I don't wanna be rude or anything but I really need to know what's going on and how did I get here" he said in a serious tone._

_"Don't worry, I was just going to. Well, first of all, let introduce myself. My name's Arkanis Wolfen"_

_"Wolfen? Why does that name sound familiar to me?" Falco asked intrigued._

_"Well, probably because I designed the Wolfen II starfighters"_

_"The Wolfen II starfighter! Star Wolf's starfighter! So you're with them! Falco shouted as he stood up and pulled his blaster out._

_"Hey take it easy, let me explain" _

_Falco sat down again not taking his gun out of Arkanis face._

_"I am a starfighter designer-builder. I was working for General Pepper. He asked me to improve the Wolfen I starship, which I had also built. You probably don't know them 'cause they were quickly replaced by the superior-class Arwing fighters"_

_"So your ships were rejected huh?" Falco joked._

_"Anyway,…" Arkanis was clearly not pleased with that joke "…a few months later Pepper asked me to improve the Wolfen I fighters, so I started to work on them"_

_"But if you were working for Pepper, why does Star Wolf have Wolfen II fighters?" he asked._

_"I'm coming to that part. As I was saying, I was working on the new Wolfen II fighters, when an explosion blasted my Lab's door throwing everything, including me, away. I was thrown against the wall, but luckily didn't fell unconscious, or I'd be dead by now. Smoke was everywhere, but I recognized the four figures that entered the room immediately. The four figures were the Star Wolf members. They started to rip the place apart burning everything they could found, including the Wolfen II blueprints. I couldn't do anything, I wasn't trained for combat and they were merciless assassins, so I hided behind a desk. They took 3 of the 4 prototypes of the Wolfen II fighters and took off, but their leader didn't. He placed a small object on the floor first and then stole the last prototype. Once he was gone, I went to the center of the room where the small object was placed. It was a hand-sized Nova bomb! And it was ready to explode in a few seconds! I tried to escape, but the exit was blocked"_

_"But how did you survive then?" Falco asked _

_"The same way you did I suppose"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"What's the last thing you remember?"_

_"Well, we were…oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm…"_

_"Falco Lombardi from the Star Fox team, I know. I'm come from Corneria too"_

_"I see…well, as I was saying, we were fighting one of Andross' creations when it grabbed one of my Nova bombs and exploded it. I don't know how I got here"_

_"Wasn't there by any chance a vortex?" Arkanis asked._

_"Well, actually yes, there was one. How did you know it?"_

_"That's what brought you here. Just like me" the wolf smirked._

_"Huh?" the confused pilot asked._

_"Back to my story. I couldn't escape and the bomb exploded, but one of my projects saved me. It was an upgrade to the G-Diffuser the Arwings had. It's only problem was that it used too much energy, that's why I wasn't included in your Arwings at the moment. It was experimental. Anyway, I tested it a few hours ago that day so it was almost fully charged and when the bomb blasted it, a vortex was opened and it dragged me in. And that's how I got here…the same way you did" Arkanis concluded "Now could you please put that gun away from my face"_

_"Huh?…oh yes, sorry about that" Falco quickly put his gun down._

_"Nevermind"_

_"But I just appeared here? Out of nowhere?"_

_"No, I was…doing something I don't remember now, when your Arwing appeared and crashed nearby. I went to the place to see what was it and to my surprise it was an Arwing fighter. I looked for the pilot to see if he was alive and…well, you were. Although you were unconscious, you weren't hurt. Not deadly at least, so I took you to my place and healed most your wounds. I couldn't feed you but I could gave you water, because you unconsciously drank it"_

_"I see. Thank you man, you saved my life. I owe you one"_

_"Nah, don't mention it. At least I have someone to talk to now"_

_"What do you mean? There's none beside you?" Falco ran to the nearest window. All he could see was a vast field._

_"Don't waste your eyes, there's none out there. Just miles and miles of field. Lucky for us it is fertile, or I would have died a long time ago"_

_Falco and Arkanis kept talking all day. The hours passed and the night's dark cloak covered the place._

_"By the way, my ship, where is it?" Falco asked._

_"Oh, it's still out there where I found it, but it's too late now. We can bring it tomorrow, it's no too far from here"_

_"OK. Thanks again"_

_"You're welcome. Well, I think I'll go to sleep now"_

_"You have more rooms? I thought you were alone" Falco asked intrigued._

_"No, actually I have just one. The one you woke up in"_

_"So where did you slept this days?"_

_"On the couch"_

_"You have a couch?"_

_"I made one. I needed to sit somewhere. It's not the finest you've seen, but it works"_

_"Then you sleep in your bedroom tonight, I'll sleep here"_

_"No way. You've just waken up since the crash. You still need some rest. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'm already used to it and we can build another room for you in no time. Now go to sleep"_

_"Are you sure?" Falco asked._

_"Yes, I'm pretty sure. Goodnight"_

_"OK, goodnight Arkanis"_

_Falco went to "his" bedroom to sleep, but just couldn't. He was thinking about his friends, and how he was going to get back with them. But he was also very tired, and a few hours later, he fell asleep. The night went by quietly as a tomb…_

_-THE NEXT DAY-_

_Ark went to where Falco was sleeping to see if he was awake, but as we all know, Falco isn't the best person (or bird) for getting up early._

_"(Mmmh, just as I thought, he's still asleep. Well, I think I'll let him rest a little more. He had a hard day yesterday)" Arkanis thought to himself._

_He was going out for some fresh air, when he heard a loud noise, followed by some…very interesting curses (curses that I'd like to translate to you, but I don't speak Lylatian, sorry). He went to the room only to find Falco on the floor rubbing his head._

_"Well, well, I see you're awake already" Arkanis said holding his laugh._

_"Ha ha, very funny" Falco said in his usual morning mood._

_"C'mon, we gotta get your ship back"_

_"(yawns) Alright alright, I'm going"_

_-A FEW MINUTES LATER-_

_"Well, here we are"_

_Falco looked at his crashed Arwing. It was totally ruined. You could see parts of the ship miles away from the landing point._

_"Oh man! It's totally screwed! We can't go back to Corneria on this, and it's impossible to repair it. We're stuck in this miserable planet forever" Falco said throwing his hands in the air and sitting heavily on the ground"_

_"There's nothing I can't repair my blue friend, but repairing it was not what I had in mind" Arkanis said._

_"I didn't think you were so hungry to bring me here to get you my rations" Falco said scratching his neck._

_"No! I just want parts from your ship. I think I can make a machine that can teleport us back to Corneria" Arkanis said with a wise air on his words._

_"Really? Then what are we waiting for? Let's get to work!" Falco said as he started to smash his Arwing._

_"No, wait, not that way!"_

_-SEVERAL MONTHS LATER-_

_"Well, I think it's ready" Arkanis said wiping his sweat away._

_"Nice work man, but…is it safe?"_

_"I don't know. I guess we'll have to try it"_

_Arkanis turned the machine on, and it started to make a very loud sound. A dimensional gate appeared filling the room with a bright light._

_"Should we go in!" Falco yelled._

_"The machine has enough power to keep it open a few seconds. Besides, I don't think we have much of an option!" Arkanis yelled back._

……….

"…then, we walked in and appeared here. End of the story" Falco said.

"But you said it took you a few months to finish the machine. How come you appeared here years after your disappearance?"

"Well…" Arkanis said "…, I think the machine, somehow, opened the time flux and threw us in it"

"I see" Pepper said.

They kept talking a few hours when a soldier walked in and interrupted them.

"Excuse me Sir, but the prisoner demands you talk to him"

"Who? Oh, Wolf…right, I'll be right there. I completely forgot about him. I think we should all go and pay him a visit" Peppy said.

Our heroes go to the cells and find Wolf and Leon sitting in the dark.

"Wolf! How did you get out!" Falco said pulling his blaster out and pointing it at wolf's head.

"C'mon Lombardi, give me some credit. Did you really think you could held me in your pathetic little prisons? I could do it again with my eyes closed, but I'm not here to fight. As I said earlier, I have an offer to your friend"

"What do you want O'Donnell?" Peppy stepped forward.

"What I want? The question is…what do you need?"

"Huh?"

"I propose an alliance"

"What?

"You heard me. An alliance against Andross"

"I thought you were on his side"

"I was, until I realized I wanted to destroy McCloud myself. I can get many soldiers for our alliance, but I warn you, our little truce here ends right after we defeat that insane ape"

"Sounds good to me, but how can we know we can trust you?"

"Leon is going to get you 100 soldiers, who are completely loyal to me, while I stay here with you"

"What do you think Pepper?" the rabbit asked.

"Mmm…"

"Well?" Wolf asked impatient.

"We got a deal here"

"Leon, go now and bring the 100 soldiers I told you about"

"But how am I going to get 100 soldiers without the base being alerted"

"Just tell them guards you are going on some recognition mission or something and that you have direct orders from the emperor himself"

"OK, I'll be on my way then. See you in a few days"

And so, Leon traveled back to the Venomian base.

TWO DAYS LATER-

A guard notices Leon is returning and goes to where our friends were.

"Sir, Leon Powalski has returned"

"Good. Let's go see him" Pepper said.

They walk to the entrance to meet him.

"Well Pepper, here I am with the 100 soldiers Wolf promised you"

"I see. Since you kept your word, I think we can set Wolf free. Soldier!"

"Yes Sir?" a soldier came running and saluted.

"Bring O'Donnell here"

"Right away Sir" he turned around and headed to the prison cells.

A few minutes later, Wolf walks in.

"Was about time"

"Well gentlemen, I think we can now start making our attack plan. This way please" Peppy said.

The unusual group headed to a big tent near Pepper's. Inside was a big table with many chairs. They all sat down and started planning their attack.

"First of all, we should rescue the rest of the Star Fox team, Bill Grey and a few others."

"Yeah, but maybe we should rescue one first so I doesn't look too suspicious" Falco suggested.

"Right, but who?"

"It's obvious…" Wolf said "McCloud's the first we must get out of there"

"Yeah, I agree" Leon said.

"Me too" Peppy said.

"So do I" Pepper said.

"I don't" Falco said catching everybody's attention.

"What's wrong with you Lombardi? He's the most obvious choice. Perhaps you were out of action so long that it started affecting your memory and you don't remember McCloud anymore, HaHaHa" Wolf laughed pissing Falco off, who trying not to make it too obvious although everyone noticed it.

"Maybe, but at least I'm not obsessed with him. I certainly wouldn't rescue Andross no matter where was"

"Oh, tough words for a little bird-brain. But are you tough enough to settle this outside?" Wolf asked standing up.

"You bet I am. I'm gonna…"

"Enough you two. Stop acting like children and start focusing on the plan" Peppy told them off. They both sat down.

"Good, now, what were you going to say Falco?"

"As I said, I don't think Fox's the first one we should rescue, even if it seems so obvious to some of us"

"Then who do you suggest?"

"In my opinion, the first one we should rescue…" he paused.

Everybody was looking at him…

"…is Slippy"

…and everybody's eyes widened in surprise. They stared at Falco with their mouths opened.

"What?" Falco asked confused.

None answered…

"What are you looking at?"

_TO BE CONTINUED…_

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This one's shorter 'cause I don't have much time to make it any longer. If I did, It would take me a lot to finish it since I'm going to be very busy soon. Anyway, I'm still going to continue the story so don't worry (assuming of course anyone does). I hope you enjoyed it. And remember…DON'T EVER GIVE UP!

Any comments, questions, insults? E-mail me at Star Fox characters are property of Nintendo. Arkanis Wolfen is my character and you must ask me first if you want to use it. I won't say no, but I'd like to know when somebody uses it.


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